Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there regarding the concepts, and terminology, involved in 'Sinking' and 'Sourcing' as those terms apply to industrial automation & controls, sensors, and PLC's (and DCS's). I have watched many YouTube videos presented by educational institutions, trade schools, equipment manufacturers, and distributors of same, and thought most of them were making it more difficult to understand, rather than relating the concepts in an easily digestible manner. So, here is my own attempt to present a simple explanation; maybe it will help somebody.
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there regarding the concepts, and terminology, involved in 'Sinking' and 'Sourcing' as those terms apply to industrial automation & controls, sensors, and PLC's (and DCS's). I have watched many YouTube videos presented by educational institutions, trade schools, equipment manufacturers, and distributors of same, and thought most of them were making it more difficult to understand, rather than relating the concepts in an easily digestible manner. So, here is my own attempt to present a simple explanation; maybe it will help somebody.
